Automatic tissue and towel dispenser



Feb 8, 1955 w. J. CHRISTMAS 2,701,691

AUTOMATIC TISSUE AND TOWEL DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed O01). 27,1955 223 'f d'0 Z2 Wlllmellbfm ATT RN EYE Feb. 8, 1955 w. J. CHRISTMAS2,701,691

AUTOMATIC TISSUA` AND TOWEL DISPENSER Filed Oct. 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet2 1N VENTOR. l/ll'aJ/Jlrsmasf United States Patent O AUTOMATIC TISSUEAND TOWEL DISPENSER William l. Christmas, Monticello, Fla.

Application @etober 27, 1953, Serial No. 388,634

2 Claims. (Cl. 242-55.2)

This invention relates to a dispenser, and more particularly to adispenser for rolled toilet tissue, rolled paper towels, or other rolledpaper products.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tissue or toweldispenser which is provided with an ash tray and wherein single handeddelivery of such materials can be accomplished by merely grasping theexposed end of thel roll and exerting a straight pull on the free end ofthe rol A further object of the invention is to provide a tissue andtowel dispenser with an ash tray which is extremely simple andinexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will ,be apparent during the course of thefollowing description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and inwhich like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout thesame:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l, andshowing the position of a roll of tissue paper thereon.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the present invention showing thebracket detached and showing the position of the parts when the roll isnearly empty.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the adjusted positionof the parts for use with a medium size roll of tissue paper.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figures 4 and 5, but showing the adjustedposition of the parts when a full roll of paper is on the device.

Figure 7 is an end elevational View of the present invention.

Figure 8 is an elevational view, with parts broken away and in sectionshowing a modification of the present inp vention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a bracketwhich can be made of any suitable material, and the bracket 10 mayinclude a vertically disposed leg 11 which can be secured to a suitablesupporting structure such as a wall 14 by screws 12, Figure 2. Thebracket 10 may further include a horizontally disposed leg 15 whichprovides a support for B. hollow housing 16 that can be made of anysuitable material. The housing 16 includes spaced parallel end walls 17and 18, and spaced parallel side walls 19 and 20 and a top wall 21.

Suitable screws 22 extend through the leg 15 and into engagement withthe housing 16 for detachably connecting the housing 16 to the bracket10. Journaled in the side walls 19 and 20 of the housing 1 6 andextending outwardly therefrom is a spindle 23. A stop pin 24 extendsthrough the spindle 23 for maintaining .the spindle 23 in the properposition, Figures 4, 5 .and 6. A support member 25 is secured to theouter end of the spindle 23 in'any suitable manner, and a body member 26eX- tends over a portion of the support member 25. The support member 25may be made of a suitable yieldable material such as sponge rubber. Thenumeral 27 designates a roll of tissue paper which is to be dispensed inpredetermined quantities, and the end of the tissue paper 27 isindicated by the numeral 28, Figure 2. The roll of tissue paper 27 isarranged so that its hollow inner space 30 snugly receives the members26 and 25 so that the roll of paper rotates in unison with the spindle23. A screw 29 may extend through the body member 26 and 2,701,691Patented Feb. 8, 1955 into engagement with the outer end of the spindle23, Figure 3.

The dispenser of the present invention further includes a shaft 31 whichrotatably extends into the housing through the top wall 21, and aknurled knob 32 is secured to the outer end of the shaft 31 for rotatingthe latter. A screw 33 engages the other end of the shaft 31 to providea.

pivotal connection with the leg 15, Figure 2. The shaft 31 is providedwith a slit or cutout 34 which receives a portion of a rubber band 35. Asection of the rubber band 35 is thus secured to the shaft 31, andanother section of the rubber band 35 is secured to the spindle 23 bymeans of a pin 36. A pin 37 serves to secure another section of therubber band 35 to the end Wall 17 of the housing 16, Figure 4.

A means is provided for limiting or controlling the amount of rotationof the spindle 23, and this means comprises a chain or flexible cable 38which has one end secured to the spindle 23 by means of a pin 39. Theother end of the cable or chain 38 is connected to the shaft 31.

Carried by the shaft 31 is a stop pin 40 which serves to limit outwardmovement of the shaft 31 with respect to the housing 16. A second pin 44projects from the shaft 31, and the pin 44 is adapted to seat in one ofthe radially disposed recesses 41, 42, or 43 which are arranged in theouter surface of the top wall 21, Figures 1 and 2. The words Full,Empty, and Medium are arranged contiguous rto each of the recesses 41,43 and 42.

A recess 45 is arranged in an end of the housing 16, and the recess 45is adapted to receive a finger 47 that extends from an ash tray 46.Thus, the ash tray 46 can be used for supporting lighted cigarettes orthe like conveniently on the tissue paper dispenser. When the ash tray46 is to be emptied, the finger 47 can be readily disengaged from therecess 4S, Figure 8. In Figure 8 a modified mounting means is shownwhich is adapted to be used in lieu of the bracket 10. This modifiedmounting means includes a spring clip 48 which is adapted to be arrangedin engagement with a wall 49 of a commode or other supporting structure.A leg 50 may be formed integral with the spring clip 48 or can besecured thereto, and the leg 5U is adapted to be secured to the bottomof the housing 16 in the same manner as the previously described leg 15.

From the foregoing it is apparent that a tissue and towel dispenser hasbeen provided which may have an ash tray 46 associated therewith. Thepresent invention is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and isconvenient for dispensing rolled toilet tissue, rolled paper towels, orother materials dispensed or consumed from rolled packages.

rials by merely grasping the exposed end 28 of the roli and exerting astraight pull tangential to the periphery of the roll and at rightangles to the axis of rotation of the roll. The ash tray accessory 46 isadapted to be used by a person when smoking a cigarette or cigar at theinstant the dispenser is being used, and can be used when the person ndsit desirable that his hand be completely free for grasping the exposedend of the roll oetween puffs. The ash tray 46 can be readily removedWhen it is to be emptied and the present invention is primarily to beused in dispensing toilet tissue although it can be constructed largeenough to dispense paper towels or other materials that may be packagedin larger rolls. The dispenser may be installed at one side or the otherof the commode 49 as shown in Figure ..8 or it can be attached tothewall of the bathroom as shown by the numeral 14 in Figures 1-7, or itcan be secured to any other interior section of the bathroom convenientin relation to the operator stationed in a sitting position on thecommode seat or in a standing position adjacent to it. As shown inFigure 8 the dispenser can be suspended flat against the side of thecommode tank by means of the adapter 48 which provides a hook over thetop edge of the commode tank wall and the lid 51 lits snugly over thehook. The dispenser will operate successfully mounted either verticallyor horizontally and the method of attaching is irrelevant to theprincipal concept of the in- By means of the present invention there.will be faciiitated single handed delivery of such mate l il vention. Asshown in Figures 1 7 holes are provided in the leg 11 to receive screws12 which can be extended into the Wall 14.

The operation of the d-ispenser is as follows. The exposed end 28 of theroll 27 is grasped by either hand and stead-ily pulled preferablytangentially to the periphery of the roll and `at right angles to theaxis of rotation of the spindle 23. The sponge rubber support member hasthe metal clasp 26 thereon so that there will be exerted an outwardpressure against the interior walls of the spool on which the tissue iswound to thus keep the roll engaged to the spindle 23 so that the partsturn in unison.

As the tissue is pulled and the shaft 31 rotates, the rubber band whichis secured to the spindle 23 and which is also secured to the end wall17 of the casing develops tension. This tension in the rubber band 35increases as the spindle 23 continues rotating until the rnechan-icalstop chain or cable 33 which is attached to the shaft 3ft becomes tautdue to its being wound up on spindle 23. When the turning of the spindle23 has taken up all of the slack in the mechanical stop chain or cable38 it is then restrained and this in turn restrains the support member25 which in turn restrains the metal clasp 26 and the metal clasp underpressure from the resilient member 25 restrains the roll of tissue fromturning thus creating a situation where 'the energy exerted by thesteady pull by the hand of the operator opposed by the mechanical stopcable 3S overcomes the breaking strength of the unrolled length oftissue. Since obviously the tissue can not break off Within the portionwound upon the roll where the union of several thicknesses gives addedstrength, it is severed at a breaking point 'somewhere within theunrolled segment of tissue 27, the severed portion remaining in the handof the operator for immediate use.

As a result of the tension developed within the rubber band 3Ssimultaneously with the winding up of mechanical stop cable 38, a sharpreverse movement of the spindle 23 occurs instantly when the length oftissue is severed by reason of lthe two opposing forces of themechanical stop cable'ft'i and the pull exerted on the length of tissueby the hand of the operator. This sharp reverse movement of the spindlecarrying the roll of tissue is accomplished almost the instant that thetissue released by the support member 25 breaks o. This reverse movement(one or more revolutions) does not unroll the tissue, but the momentumgained from the reverse movement continues beyond the static pointassumed by the spindle 23 in relation to the rubber band .3S in whichboth segments of the band 35 on either side of its two opposite pointsof attachment were held in equilibrium when the initial movement began.This continued rotation quickly winds the spindle 23 up on the band 35in a direction opposite to the direction of the winding developed by theinitial movement produced when the operator grasped the exposed end 28of the tissue, thus enforcing a tension in the band 35 in this newdirection. This tens-ion increases until the elasticity of the band 35is overcome by the enforced resistance of the band i-tself to therotation of the shaft in said direction, and the direction of rotationof the shaft 23 is changed by reaction of the band to the momentum ofthe reverse movement, to thereby impel the shaft ina third phase ofmovement that is in the same direction as the initial movement `actuatedby the hand of the operator.

The final third phase of movement, which is a reaction to the reverserotation, unrolls a length of tissue 27 that hangs suspended always atthe close of an operation. This unrolled portion of tissue is contiguousto the exposed end of the roll and provides ready accessibility forgrasping by the operator if and when the operation is to be repeated.

rIt is apparent that for each rotation of a large roll of `tissue alonger piece of tissue is released from the roll than is released by therotation of -a small roll. Therefore, with a constant fixed length ofmechanical stop cable 38 for all sizes of rolls occasioned by continuousdispensing from a giv-en roll, a disparity in lengths of tissuedispensed from the same roll, that is longer pieces coming from a fullroll and Very short pieces coming from a roll that approachesexhaustion, would result. To compensate for the reduced size of the rollas it approaches exhaustion. a regulator including the knob 32 and shaft3l is built into the apparatus and this knob 32 is adapted to bemanipulated by the operator exteriorly of the housing or case. The knob32 is used for manually rotating the shaft 3l and by properly rotatingthe shaft, the effective length of the stop cable 38 can be shortened orlengthened to adjust the dispenser to deliver more or less paper as thediameter of the roll may vary from time to time or as othercircumstances may demand. The screw 33 anchors the shaft 31 in positionand at the same time permits it to rotate about a central point at theend of its longitudinal axis.

The member 3S may be in the form lof a chain or if a cord is used smallweights may be used so as to cause the member 38 to hang down by gravityso that there will be no interference between the band 35 and member 38.

A portion of the rubber band 3S extends through the slit 3d so that theband can be tightened as the mechanical stop string 38 is beingshortened or lengthened simultaneously with turning of the shaft 3.1.Thus, if it is necessary to add tension to the rubber band it may beconvenient to eliminate sluggish operation of large rolls of materialbeing dispensed.

The stud or pin 44 is adapted to be seated in one of the recesses 41, 42or 43 so as to maintain the shaft 31 immobile in its vari-ous `adjustedpositions. The shaft 31 can be lifted or moved vertically in the housingwhen the pin t4 is to be moved from one of its recesses to another. Theparts can be made of any suitable material.

claim:

l. A paper dispenser comprising a bracket adapted to be connected to asupporting structure, a hollow housing connected to said bracket andincluding a top wall, spaced parallel side walls, and spaced parallelend Walls, a spindle journaled in said housing and extending throughsaid side Walls, a support member of yieldable material secured to theouter end of said spindle, a rubber band having one end connected tosaid spindle and its other end connected to an end wall of said housing,a rotatable shaft extending through said top wall and into said housing,a knurled knob secured to the outer end of said shaft for rotating thelatter, there being a slit in said shaft for receiving a portion -ofsaid rubber band, and a cable having one end connected to said shaft andits other end connected to said spindle.

2. A paper dispenser comprising a bracket adapted to `be connected to asupporting structure, a hollow housing connected to said bracket andincluding a top wall, side walls, and end walls, a spindle journaled insaid housing and extending through said side Walls, a support membersecu-red to said spindle, a resilient band having one end connected tosaid spindle and its other end connected to an end Wall of said housing,means for limiting rotation of said spindle and for receiving a portionof said rubber band, and a cable having one end connected to said meansand its other end connected to said spindle.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,202,190 Kern Oct. 24, 1916 1,888,426 Duby Nov. 22, 1932 2,632,605 LeeMar. 24, 1953 nur. M!

